**The Ospreys’ 2019/20 season got off to a bad start before a ball had been touched. Looking back now, it was an omen of what was to come.** Star signing Gareth Anscombe, now first choice for Wales and swapping the Cardiff Arms Park for the Liberty Stadium, suffered an ACL injury in August that has eventually ruled him out of the entire season. Combine that with Wales’ good run at the World Cup leading to the absence of key men like Alun Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric for much of the campaign so far and you have some of the reasons for a disappointing Guinness PRO14 record. Despite that, there would still have been hopes for a much better season, even if the last few weeks prior to the Coronavirus-enforced break, had shown some signs of an upturn in form. # Story of the campaign so far With Anscombe injured and the World Cup contingent away, the Ospreys got off to a slow start with successive heavy defeats away to Ulster and Leinster. A hard-fought win over 14-man Benetton followed, but after another loss away to an Irish province, this time in Munster, they then lost four in a row at home. Those included a defeat to the Isuzu Southern Kings – their maiden away victory – which led to head coach Allen Clarke relinquishing rugby duties before leaving the club for good in December. His departure did not signal an immediate turnaround in fortunes, with defeats in all three Welsh derbies. In January even long-time captain Alun Wyn Jones felt the need to speak up about some of the recruitment and lack of accountability behind the scenes. However with Mike Ruddock having come in as director of rugby until the end of the season, and Matt Sherratt and Carl Hogg taking first-team coaching duties, the Ospreys started to turn a corner. They upset Ulster at home in February before pushing unbeaten Leinster very hard a week later before the season was halted indefinitely. A record of two wins in 12 matches in the Guinness PRO14 does not make for pretty reading, added to a winless record in Europe. However with Toby Booth announced as the man taking over as head coach next season, the hope is that the team can bounce back.
